The present invention is directed to a container and a tag assembly. More particularly, the invention is directed to a nursery container and a tamper resistant tag that is attached to the container in a manner so that the tag is visible without obstruction from a live plant growing in the container.
Plants and seedlings are usually grown in a suitable nursery container or pot for sufficient time for the plant to reach the desired size for marketing. The plants are then transported in the original container to a retail outlet for sale to the ultimate consumer. Plants that are sold through retail outlets and stores usually require suitable labels or tags to enable the purchaser to identify the plant variety as well as the price of the plant. The typical method of providing some form of identification of the plant is a stake or tag inserted into the soil. The stake generally includes a brief description of the plant as well as planting and care instructions and a price or price code. Examples of stakes for inserting in the soil are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,768 to Tesselaar et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,107 to Doerr, U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,943 to Schlicter and U.S. Pat. No. 227,658 to Schultz. The use of stakes which are inserted into the soil have the disadvantage of being easily separated from the plant and container during shipping and handling. This prevents the consumer from identifying the plant and cost of the plant.
Another disadvantage of the use of stakes for identifying plants is the high occurrence of purchasers intentionally replacing the stake or other tag with the stake or tag from another plant of lower cost.
Various efforts have been proposed to overcome the disadvantages of the use of the stakes inserted into the soil to identify the plants. For example, tags can be attached to the plant or the nursery container by a suitable fastener such as staples, rings and bands. The tags attached by these fasteners are usually difficult and more time consuming to attach than stakes inserted into the soil, thereby increasing labor costs. In addition, the tags are often more expensive to produce and can result in damage to the plant when attached or when the tag is removed. Another form of device for identifying the plant within a container includes the use of labels applied with an adhesive. An example of such containers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,796 to Nathan. These containers have the disadvantage of being labor intensive to apply the labels. In addition, the adhesive labels are not always waterproof or weatherproof, require a clean surface to adhere properly, and can be peeled from one container and applied to another. Injection molded containers have also been manufactured with a receptacle for attaching to a tag.
Accordingly, a continuing need exists for an improved nursery container and labeling device.
The present invention is directed to a container and tag assembly. More particularly, the invention is directed to a nursery container and a tamper resistant tag attached to the container.
Accordingly, a primary object of the invention is to provide a nursery container having a suitable structure to enable a tag member to be coupled to the container in a convenient and efficient manner.
Another object of the invention is to provide a nursery container having a structure for attaching a tag to the side wall of the container in a manner so that it is difficult for the consumer to remove the tag once the container is filled with soil.
A further object of the invention is to provide a nursery container having a hang tag attached to the container in a manner such that the tag is readily visible by the purchasing consumer and the retail clerk without interfering with the plant or the container.
Another object of the invention is to provide a nursery container having a tamper resistant tag attached to the container in a manner so that the tag does not interfere with the stacking and handling of the containers.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a nursery container and a hang tag where the tag is inserted upwardly through a slit in the container so that the tag can be suspended below the rim of the container.
A further object of the invention is to provide a nursery container and tag assembly where the tag cannot be readily removed from the container without damaging the container or the tag.
Another object of the invention is to provide a container and tag assembly where the tag includes a locking projection for coupling with the container while allowing the tag to hang downwardly. A further object of the invention is to provide a nursery container and hang tag assembly which is convenient to use, easy to assemble and inexpensive to manufacture.
Another object of the invention is to provide a nursery container having a slit formed in the side wall of the container for receiving a tag having a locking structure such that the tag cannot be separated from the container without damaging the tag or the container.
The objects and advantages of the invention are basically attained by providing a tamper resistant tag and container assembly, where the container has a bottom wall, and at least one side wall coupled to the bottom wall which extends in a substantially upward direction with respect to the bottom wall. The side wall has an upper end and at least one slit formed in the side wall and is positioned between the bottom wall and the upper end. The tamper resistant tag includes a printing area for receiving printed indicia, a neck portion, and a coupling member for coupling the tag to the side wall of the container. The coupling member has a first end connected to the neck portion of the tag, and a second end which is inserted through the slit in the side wall of the container for resisting separation of the tag from the container. In embodiments of the invention, the coupling member has a width slightly greater than the width of the neck portion of the tag. The slit preferably has a length less than the width of the coupling member and at least as long as the width of the neck portion.
Other objects, advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings discloses preferred embodiments of the present invention.